# Is "The Cave" by José Saramago a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Cave by José Saramago (Harcourt, 2002) is identified by: US Harcourt 2002 first American edition, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. First English translation of A Caverna (2000).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Harcourt 2002 first American edition, translated by Margaret Jull Costa
- Harcourt trade firsts of this period are identified by a complete letter line beginning with A on the copyright page (not a numeric line), with the edition stated
- Both US and UK editions appeared in 2002; relative precedence is not established
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | José Saramago |
| Publisher | Harcourt |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Harcourt 2002 first American edition, translated by Margaret Jull Costa |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Harcourt 2002 first American edition, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Harcourt trade firsts of this period are identified by a complete letter line beginning with A on the copyright page (not a numeric line), with the edition stated. Both US and UK editions appeared in 2002; relative precedence is not established.

## Is this the true first?
First English translation of A Caverna (2000). Both the US Harcourt and UK Harvill editions are dated 2002; which appeared first is not verifiable from available sources.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition recorded.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Cave* by José Saramago a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-cave
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.